No Genetic Defects!

The genetic counselor from The Center of Advanced Fetal Care called today with some great news!  All the results from the amniocentecis came back and revealed that Adriana has no chromosome abnormalities!  This is one less thing to worry about, and makes things less complicated!

More Confirmation

Today Matt and I made the long trip to Baltimore for what seemed like the 90th time.  During this appointment, the specialists at The Center For Advanced Fetal Care were hesitant to side with our pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Chaves, on a diagnosis.  So, they called in the "boss boss boss", Dr. Christopher Harmon, who is the Director of Maternal and Fetal Medicine and the Director of CAFC.  He was very personable and was able to explain each and every view of Adriana on the ultrasound, including her position and a definitive diagnosis of organ placement.  Dr. Harmon in the end agreed with Dr. Chaves--Adriana's heart is abnormally positioned, but her stomach, liver, and spleen seem to be in the correct places.  There are still some questions as to how her heart will form and how her blood with travel throughout her heart and body, however.  As I mentioned before, only time will tell.  Although this does not completely rule out heterotaxy, it does not seemed to affect her digestion system.

We also received some results of the genetic tests from the amniocentecis.  The fifty most common genetic disorders have been ruled out with 95% certainty, which is a very good thing.  Genetic disorders always complicate things. The "array" results have not come back, but it is a screen of much more rare chromosome abnormalities.

Our next appointment is May 14th with CAFC and then Dr. Chaves.

5th Anniversary Weekend Getaway

For our 5th anniversary, I (kind of) surprised Matthew and booked a secluded cottage on a lake for a weekend.  Not only was it nice to get away and have some alone time, we were able to take advantage of some mostly good weather and enjoy the great outdoors!  We went fishing, watched the dogs swim, had a camp fire, took advantage of the hot tub, and went out on a pedal boat for a bit.  Oh, and by the way, Yours Truly caught the only fish worth keeping... and I caught it within the first ten minutes of my pole being in the water!

She's a beauty, I know.  Unfortunately, we forgot about her tied to the dock.  When we returned to get her the next day, she was alive and well, so we decided to set her free.  We had planned to grill some steaks anyway (until it rained that evening)!

It was truly a gorgeous and quiet place.  Our 5th anniversary will forever be one of our favorites, I'm sure!  Thanks to my parents who drove up from North Carolina to West Virginia to watch our babies while Matthew and I were able to have some Husband & Wife time alone for the first time since Tateum was born!

The fireplace in the bedroom 

Relaxing hot tub on the deck right outside the bedroom

Ahhh, relaxing on the hammock

Air Dexter

Deer EVERYWHERE

Adriana at 22 weeks...

Better News...

On Monday April 16, we met with Dr. Baschat's office and Dr. Alicia Chaves.  Dr. Baschat was pleased to see that Adriana is growing, and although on the smaller side, she is within the "normal" range for her gestation week.  Her heart still seems to be doing well and pumping beautifully.  We received even better news when we met with Dr. Chaves.  She is a Pediatric Cardiologist who specializes in imaging and was able to draw a better picture of Adriana's abnormalities.  Dr. Chaves is almost 100% positive that Adriana does NOT have heterotaxy syndrome.  This is EXTREMELY good news because the syndrome involves so many complications, not just affecting the heart.  Instead, she believes that only Adriana's heart is tilted to the right (this is called "Dextrocardia") and does not think that multiple organs are displaced.  As we learned before, her right ventricle is smaller than the left, but her Great Arteries are not necessarily transposed.  Adriana has a hole in between her two ventricles (this is called "Ventricular Septal Defect"), as well as "Double Outlet Right Ventricle", meaning that both of her arteries could pull blood from the right ventricle because of the hole.  The tilt in the heart's position may also affect blood travel.  Her Tricuspid valve is  "straddling" both vetricles as well.  It is hard to say exactly how the blood flow will develop, once she grows and is out of the womb.  Only time will tell.  However, in the drawing, Dr. Chaves drew different surgical procedures that could turn out to be very good options for Adriana when she is older.  At 4-6 months of age, she could have a band put around the valve that goes to the lungs to make sure the blood disperses equally to the body as well.  At 2 to 4 years of age she may have to have a Glenn shunt put in.  Like I said, only time will tell and we shall see how Adriana's heart adapts.  Regardless, we have options and the outlook is much more optimistic for Adriana and she will not have to have heart surgery immediately following her birth as we originally thought..  Our little girl won't be able to participate in competitive sports or strenuous activities, but she'll be able to run around and play with her big sisters.  Here is the drawing of Adriana's heart, courtesy of Dr. Chaves:

Now, here is a picture of a normal heart:

Adriana Needs Your Prayers

     Our visit at University of Maryland Center for Advance Fetal Care did not go as well as we had hoped.  After hours of sonogram photographs and videos, Dr. Ahmet Baschat diagnosed Adriana with heterotaxy syndrome.  It is a condition where organs of the body form on the opposite side they normally form on.  Her heart will need to be operated on soon after birth because she has TGA.  Her left atrium is connected to her right ventrical (it should be connected to the left ventrical) and her right atrium to her left ventrical.  We are not sure how many other organs that the syndrome is affecting at this point in time.  Matt and I will be taking a trip to the hospital in Baltimore every two weeks, and then more often in the third trimester.  Multiple exams and test will be performed.  I have already undergone Amniocentesis to determine whether the heterotaxy was caused by a genetic defect.  We should have results in a few days.  I will also be induced there, to avoid Adriana being born too far away from the specialists at UMD.

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